EQUAL ACCESS TO QUALITY SERVICES
 SARRAH supports national interventions to improve equal access to high quality health and HIV services.
Free, quality health care for all citizens is an important goal of the current South African government.
Currently the country suffers from a divided health system - an intractable legacy of the past. A well-resourced private sector caters for 15% of the population, while the remainder of the population depends on a weak public sector. Expenditure is roughly equal in both sectors – meaning that about seven times more is spent on every person in the private sector than in the public sector.
The establishment of a national health insurance scheme is central to shifting this inequity. South Africa is in the process of developing its National Health Insurance (NHI), which aims to provide free, quality care at all public health facilities. The process of policy development and planning for the NHI is expected to take five years. During this time there will also be intensive work to improve all aspects of service delivery in the public health sector. SARRAH is supporting this process.
SARRAH is also supporting a project aimed at improving access to medicines. This includes support for a project to reduce the backlog of medicines applications, and the establishment of a new agency to regulate medicines in the country, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA).
Other areas of work include:
- Strengthening information and communication technologies for the health system (ICT);
- Interventions to improve quality and standards in health facilities across the country;and
- An audit of medical technology.
SARRAH’s work in these areas involves sourcing, funding and overseeing the work of consultants who are qualified to support the relevant clusters in the National Department of Health (NDOH). SARRAH also provides logistical support and funding for many meetings, as well as both national and international consultations called by the NDOH.
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Improving access to medicines. READ...National Quality Assurance. READ... |
